Ian Shumsky Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) Pretty much my only New Year’s resolution was to reduce my Shelf of Shame, so this GB seems to be the perfect opportunity to get a shift on with some of these. In the interests of honesty and openness (and shocking myself into pulling my finger out) here is the full list, in order of what is closest to completion. Dragon 1/35 M1 Panther II MDCV This is so close to being finished it almost hurts! I need to weather the mine rollers and attach them to the model, however this will require a base to make sure they are right and don’t become detached immediately. The picture frame for the base has been bought and is ready and a piece of board cut to size and sealed, so ‘all’ that is needed is to build up some gentle terrain, applying filler and painting up. Airfix 1/72 Apollo V Eagle Lunar Module I started this kit as I fondly remember building one of these many, many years ago. The kit is very inaccurate but I’ve added a few bits and pieces to the base section to compensate. Construction is complete and I’m in the painting phase with really just the black and other metallics to be added. Ideally I want to get this on a very simple base but we’ll see... Tamiya 1/35 Semovente 75/18 SPG This is the first vehicle in a two vehicle diorama; it’s companion will be a Dragon El Alamein Sherman. The build phase is 99% complete and I just need to check the etch sets for any final items and attach what is missing. Following this it is regular painting and weathering, with the addition of some detritus to match the reference photo. Italeri 1/35 M4A1 Sherman This was intended as a quick build to have some fun. The kit itself was OK, if a little inaccurate in terms of tracks, road wheels, etc., but it certainly looks like a Sherman! The base Olive Drab coat is on but it needs a few touch-ups around the road wheels. Following this the decals need to go on and then it is weathering. Once thing I do need to add are some new tracks. I have a set of Bronco tracks which I’ll likely use for the Dragon El Alamein Sherman, and use that kit’s DS tracks with this. Trumpeter 1/35 M1126 "Stryker" ICV Another kit built purely for fun... This was my summer holiday build and the construction was completed within 2 weeks. Everything is primed and just waiting for paint, mainly as I’ve not got round to ordering the LifeColor MERDC green (UA 303 / FS 34094) yet... Nitto 1/20 Ma.K. Kröte Panzer Aufkalärungs TW-47 Not really sure why this one stalled as it was so much fun to build! The primer is on though this has highlighted some minor texturing I need to do to the ‘head’. Eventually this will go on a base with a figure and a bunch of other details, but for now the next steps are to get this painted up, probably in a dunkelgelb finish with some white identification markings. AFV Club 1/35 IDF Sh'ot Kal 1973 Construction was complete and the painting started, however a slight accident (i.e. it fell on the floor) sapped my energy on this one. The turret needs fixing up and then it is back onto the painting. Tamiya 1/35 M1025 and Italeri 1/35 M998 Humvees These pair of Humvees were some of my very first builds. The intention was to use the Italeri one as a painting ‘test bed’ for the Tamiya kit and these stalled as I was not happy with the Vallejo paint I was using. I have since got some appropriate LifeColor paint (I think!) so these can (should!) be picked up again. Italeri 1/72 AH-6A Night Fox When not building armour I like to build 1/72 scale helicopters OOB. This little fella was not fun to build and had some nasty fit issues. I’m very tempted to scrap it as the landing struts have sagged and the canopy has a very poor fit. Tamiya 1/35 20mm Flak 38 and 3.7cm PAK 35/36 These are my very first builds and I’m not happy with either now! I am very tempted to consign these to the bin or spares box... Revell 1/144 Space Shuttle Discovery This was another model that I built as a kit and wanted to revisit, however the amount of filler and sanding has driven me to distraction on this which is why it stalled. There is still a lot more filling and filing to go, especially on the obiter itself, but the fuel tank and booster rockets are pretty much done. This will be build OOB and I’m not going to update this to accurate for any specific launch, though if it gets finished it will look quite nice on the display. Trumpeter 1/35 Sd.Kfz.7/1 (early version) w/ Flak 38 I was going very well with this one until I had to start building the tracks! Trumpeter 1/35 Challenger 2 w/ Enhanced Armour This is another kit started for some light relief away from blogs and such. The kit is nice and detailed and I made good progress once it was started, but for some reason that I can’t recall it seemed to have stalled. Dragon 1/35 SS-1c 'SCUD B' w/ MAZ-543 TEL Despite the initial excitement I didn’t get very far with this at all, however it is far from forgotten. My aim was to really go to town on this, which would be starting with a full transmission, engine, etc. Nothing has changed on this front except I’m planning on building the updates as masters so someone can cast them up... Airfix 1/72 B 29 Superfortress This was acquired with several parts already built and as I couldn’t pass it on I started to continue it. The kit is missing the clear parts (I haven’t got round to asking Airfix for a replacement) and I lost interest. This is very much to the bottom of the list of models to build. Airfix 1/72 Westland Sea King I wanted to start something simple and unchallenging over Christmas. Unfortunately I picked this kit! Not much done so far – need to add seatbelt details and then finish cleaning up the inside of the cabin before applying some paint and closing it up. To be honest I will be very happy if I can finish one or two of these in the next month or so... I’ll likely start at the top of the list and work down, but if anyone has any real preferences, shout and I’ll see what I can do! Cheers, Ian Edited January 31, 2012 by Ian Shumsky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 You have a few there Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 That's quite a shelf full! That walking Mech thing (technical term) looks interesting....what is it? Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Hi Mish, Phil, Yup, that is a shelf and a half! Not really sure why it is as bad as it is as normally I'm something of a completer / finisher! The 'walking mech thing' is a Maschinen Krieger kit (see this wiki article for more info). Basically Ma.K. was a series of Japanese modelling magazine sci-fi stories illustrated with photos of futuristic models scratch built from many donor kits (like the original Star Wars models). Many of the creations were then turned into their own kits and have grown quite a following. I have to admit I'm not keen on a lot of the Ma.K. stuff, but the walkers are fun! Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 I finally managed to find some time and I’ve actually made progress on something! I decided to start at the top of the list and try and get the base done for the M1 Panther II MDCV. This will be my first ever groundwork, so please be gentle! I already had a picture frame and a correctly sized piece of MDF as a base, which I had sealed with a couple of coats of varnish in an attempt to prevent any warping from the application of filler, paint, etc. On the board I marked off where the picture frame overlapped and this area was then masked off. Next I marked out where the vehicle will sit and the areas where I wanted to build up some gentle terrain. In the ‘terrain’ area I fired some staples into the board which were then cut in half and straightened. The idea here was to provide some anchorage for the polystyrene terrain. I very roughly shaped some compact polystyrene packing material and attached this to the board with PVA glue, pushing the polystyrene onto the staple ‘pins’. The staples had the desired effect and locked to bits in place while the glue dried. I followed this up by firing in some more staples around the base (which were not cut and straightened) which would act as a key for the plaster cover. After this had all set solid (i.e. overnight!) I mixed up some Polyfilla with brown poster paint and PVA glue and applied this over the base. The idea behind adding the paint is that if any cracks or chips do appear then they will only reveal brown rather than a glaring white. The Polyfilla mixture was spread all over the based and roughly shaped to get the general contours correct and then a number of cleaned stones were pushed in and matched up with the filler. Next I covered the base with some cling film and placed the tank on the base, gently pushing down to make the track marks. I used the cling film so as not to get any of the filler on the model as I’m not going for the heavily mudded look. After taking off the cling film I scattered some (new!) cat litter, various small stones and fine sand over the base and worked the filler some more for a more natural look. Finally I removed the masking tape from the edges before the filler set too hard and here is what we have: Once fully dried overnight I’ll prime and then start airbrushing various earth colours. Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Nice work Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi Mish, Many thanks. I have to admit I'm quite pleased for a first attempt! Primer went on last night, so need to let that cure off before putting the base ground colours down. Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Time for a small M1 Panther II MDCV update... Once the base primer had set I sprayed some dark pre-shading around the rock and in the tracks, then sprayed various Tamiya earth-type colours over the base, starting with a Buff base and gradually lightening the pallet and spraying at various angles. There is still a lot of low- and highlighting to do, but here is where I'm at: And of course I couldn't resist adding the M1 to get a feel of how it may look: Cheers! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Looking rather smart Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fu_manchu Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Looking good Ian, finished for Thursday night? ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Mish, Ian, thanks! I have to admit I'm enjoying this and really quite please how it is shaping up, especially as this is the first time I've attempted anything like this. Ian, sorry, this won't be ready for Thursday as there is a bit too much to do (brush highlighting, washes, drybrushing, plants and pigments... and that is just the base!), but I am targeting it (and maybe one or two others) for the Milton Keynes show on the 5th February. As long as I don't get sent abroad again I should be fine! Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin9807 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) Great work on the base there Ian, will it be gracing us with its presence at Milton Keynes? Think you should aim for finishing the walker by then too Edited January 20, 2012 by merlin9807 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 Hi Merl, thanks! Yup, it **will** be finished for Milton Keynes! I have two weeks... The Ma.K. Walker won't be done, but I'm expecting the Stryker to be ready Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Time for another update... Various rocks and details were picked out in a mix of Vallejo colours and once these had dried I then applied some earth-coloured washes around the base which was followed by some light drybrushing to highlight various edges. Next I added some ‘greenery’ with a couple of grass and flower pieces from the Green Line Product range. Finally (after some Google reference work) I added some minefield warning signs. This was all sealed with a matt varnish and when dry the frame added back on. There is still some pigment work to be done once the M1 is added to tie everything in together, but for the time being the base is done and it is time to go back to the tank itself. More to follow... soon... maybe... hopefully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Look's great Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyAl Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Loving the base. I particularly like the little mine warning signs. Very cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I like your base work Ian... that's quite a "fleet of shame" you have there too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Thanks all I have to admit I'm pleased how it has come out, especially as this is the first groundwork I've done! There are a few things I'll do differently when it's time for the next base, but good lessons learnt. Hoping to make some progress on the tank itself tonight and getting this first one done and dusted so I can move onto another on the shelf... Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 So with the finish line on the M1 very much in mind I've been working on dusting up the rollers. This was done by working in pigments into the assemblies and all over the rollers themselves. When I was happy with the results the rollers were then (finally!) attached to the tank and then the tank and rollers (hopefully!) permanently attached to the base with a two-part epoxy glue. I need to work on the dusting of the M1 itself a little more and also work some more pigments between the tank and the base, but we getting there. I still need to add the central magnetic mine roller / trigger and the stowage items as well as finish the accompanying figure so still a little bit to go! I'll leave you with a gratuitous angle shot Thanks for reading Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce3371 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Very nice, also great tip for using clingfilm when making track marks. I'll use that when I eventually build the scenic base for my Dragon Wagon (assuming it works just as well with wheels?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Nearly there Ian, it looks great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fu_manchu Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Looking good - Do you sleep? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Bruce, Mish, Ian, thanks for looking in and the kind comments! Not too much more to go on this one now... Bruce, yup, the clingfilm should work for your Dragon Wagon. I rolled the mine rollers over the base to get their indentations done so I see no reason why it wouldn't work for regular wheels. Ian, 3 kids under 8 any one of which always seems to wake up at night... Sleep is something I've learnt to live without! Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin9807 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Almost finished it I see Ian, How many other models have you been taking to shows incomplete . As Fu manchu has said don't you sleep ;) ;) ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Shumsky Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Time for another midnight post, though with this one I'm calling the M1 Panther II MDCV finished! I'll post up a full set of photos in the group build gallery shortly, but to make sure there is something in this thread, here are a few shots of the finished model: Right, one down, still way too many to go! Thanks for reading, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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